Top 10 Rose Bowl performances

1. Ernie Nevers, Stanford: He established a Rose Bowl single-game rushing record in 1925, running for 114 yards on 34 carries -- more than the combined total of Notre Dame’s famed “Four Horsemen.” And he did it after having casts taken off two broken ankles 10 days earlier. Stanford still lost the game, 27-10, to Knute Rockne’s team, as Nevers was selected as co-Player of the Game.

2. Bob Jeter, Iowa: The Hawkeyes halfback set Rose Bowl records in 1959 for 194 yards rushing on only nine carries – an average of 21.6 yards per touch. That included an 81-yard TD run in the third quarter of a 38-12 win over Cal, as Iowa ran for 429 yards as a team. He was voted player of the game.

3. Sam Cunningham, USC: The fullback’s four second-half touchdowns in the 1973 Rose Bowl win over Ohio State were a combined five yards. But his 2-yard dive, followed by three more from 1 yard out, punctuated a 42-17 win over the Buckeyes. He was named player of the game even though quarterback Mike Rae set a record for completion percentage (18 of 25 for 229 yards) and tailback Anthony Davis had 157 yards rushing and a TD.

4. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA: The Bruins quarterback and two teammates suffered food poisoning hours before the 1984 Rose Bowl and he wasn’t sure if he was going to start. He ended up leading the unranked Bruins to a 45-9 win over fourth-ranked Illinois to become player of the game. Neuheisel tied a Rose Bowl record with four TD passes – two to Karl Dorrell – and completed 22 of 31 passes for 298 yards and no interceptions. Neuheisel later coached Washington to a Rose Bowl win in 2001.

5. Charley Trippi, Georgia: In 1943, he logged 58 minutes on both sides of the ball in a 9-0 win over UCLA. Plagued by injury, Heisman winner Frank Sinkwich watched from the sidelines as Trippi carried the ball 25 times for 130 yards, earning player of the game honors.

7. Danny O’Neil, Oregon: Although the Ducks lost by 18 to Penn State, O’Neil set Rose Bowl records for most passes completed (41), most attempts (61), most yardage (465), most plays (74), and most total offense (456 yards), and was named the game’s co-MVP.

8. Neil Snow, Michigan: His five touchdowns and 25 points (TDs counted for only five in those days) came while playing in the first Rose Bowl, a 49-0 win over Stanford. The TD total remains a record.

9. George Halas, Great Lakes Navy: In the 1919 Rose Bowl against the Mare Island Marines, Halas had a 45-yard touchdown reception as well as an interception returned 77 yards to the 3-yard line. He was named player of the game.

10. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: The sophomore quarterback had career highs in completions (23), pass attempts (37) and passing yards (266) while running for a game-high 72 yards on 20 carries in the Buckeyes’ win over Oregon in 2010 to take player of the game honors.